Demonology and Devil-lore — Key Ideas to Explore

Origin of Deism--Evolution from the far to the near--Illustrations from Witchcraft--The primitive Pantheism--The dawn of Dualism

The Genesis of Demons.

Their good names euphemistic--Their mixed character--Illustrations: Beelzebub, Loki--Demon-germs--The knowledge of good and evil--Distinction between Demon and Devil

The degradation of Deities--Indicated in names--Legends of their fall--Incidental signs of the divine origin of Demons and Devils

The ex-god--Deities demonised by conquest--Theological animosity-- Illustration from the Avesta--Devil-worship an arrested Deism-- Sheik Adi--Why Demons were painted ugly--Survivals of their beauty

The obstructions of man--The twelve chief classes--Modifications of particular forms for various functions--Theological Demons

Hunger-demons--Kephn--Miru--Kagura--Ráhu the Hindu sun-devourer-- The earth monster at Pelsall--A Franconian custom--Sheitan as moon-devourer--Hindu offerings to the dead--Ghoul--Goblin-- Vampyres--Leanness of demons--Old Scotch custom--The origin of sacrifices

Demons of fire--Agni--Asmodeus--Prometheus--Feast of fire--Moloch --Tophet--Genii of the lamp--Bel-fires--Hallowe'en--Negro superstitions--Chinese fire-god--Volcanic and incendiary demons-- Mangaian fire-demon--Demons' fear of water

Descent of Ishtar into Hades--Bardism--Baldur--Herakles--Christ-- Survivals of the Frost Giant in Slavonic and other countries-- The Clavie--The Frozen Hell--The Northern abode of Demons--North side of churches

A Scottish Munasa--Rudra--Siva's lightning eye--The flaming sword--Limping Demons--Demons of the storm--Helios, Elias, Perun--Thor arrows--The Bob-tailed Dragon--Whirlwind--Japanese Thunder God--Christian survivals--Jinni--Inundations--Noah--Nik, Nicholas, Old Nick--Nixies--Hydras--Demons of the Danube--Tides --Survivals in Russia and England

Animal demons distinguished--Trivial sources of Mythology-- Hedgehog--Fox--Transmigrations in Japan--Horses bewitched-- Rats--Lions--Cats--The Dog--Goethe's horror of dogs--Superstitions of the Parsees, people of Travancore, and American Negroes, Red Indians, &c.--Cynocephaloi--The Wolf--Traditions of the Nez Perces --Fenris--Fables--The Boar--The Bear--Serpent--Every animal power to harm demonised--Horns

Aryas, Dasyus, Nagas--Yakkhos--Lycians--Ethiopians--Hirpini--Polites--Sosipolis-- Were-wolves--Goths and Scythians--Giants and Dwarfs--Berserkers-- Britons--Iceland--Mimacs--Gog and Magog

Indian Famine and Sun-spots--Sun-worship--Demon of the Desert--The Sphinx--Egyptian Plagues described by Lepsius: Locusts, Hurricane, Flood, Mice, Flies--The Sheikh's ride--Abaddon--Set--Typhon--The Cain wind--Seth--Mirage--The Desert Eden--Azazel--Tawiscara and the Wild-rose

Mephistopheles on crags--Emerson on Monadnoc--Ruskin on Alpine peasants--Holy and unholy mountains--The Devil's Pulpit-- Montagnards--Tarns--Tenjo--T'ai-shan--Apocatequil--Tyrolese legends--Rock ordeal--Scylla and Charybdis--Scottish giants-- Pontifex--Devil's bridges--Le géant Yéous

Maya--Natural Treacheries--Misleaders--Glamour--Lorelei--Chinese Mermaid--Transformations--Swan Maidens--Pigeon Maidens--The Seal-skin--Nudity--Teufelsee--Gohlitsee--Japanese Siren--Dropping Cave--Venusberg--Godiva--Will-o'-Wisp--Holy Fräulein--The Forsaken Merman--The Water-Man--Sea Phantom--Sunken Treasures--Suicide

Shadows--Night Deities--Kobolds--Walpurgisnacht--Night as Abettor of Evil-doers--Nightmare--Dreams--Invisible Foes--Jacob and his Phantom--Nott--The Prince of Darkness--The Brood of Midnight--Second-Sight--Spectres of Souter Fell--The Moonshine Vampyre--Glamour--Glam and Grettir--A-Story of Dartmoor

The Plague Phantom--Devil-dances--Destroying Angels--Ahriman in Astrology--Saturn--Satan and Job--Set--The Fatal Seven--Yakseyo-- The Singhalese Pretraya--Reeri--Maha Sohon--Morotoo--Luther on Disease-demons--Gopolu--Madan--Cattle-demon in Russia--Bihlweisen --The Plough

The Vendetta of Death--Teoyaomiqui--Demon of Serpents--Death on the Pale Horse--Kali--War-gods--Satan as Death--Death-beds-- Thanatos--Yama--Yimi--Towers of Silence--Alcestis--Herakles, Christ, and Death--Hell--Salt--Azraël--Death and the Cobbler-- Dance of Death--Death as Foe and as Friend

The Holy Tree of Travancore--The growth of Demons in India, and their decline--The Nepaul Iconoclast--Moral Man and unmoral Nature--Man's physical and mental migrations--Heine's 'Gods in Exile'--The Goban Saor--Master Smith--A Greek caricature of the Gods--The Carpenter v. Deity and Devil--Extermination of the Were-wolf--Refuges of Demons--The Giants reduced to Little People--Deities and Demons returning to nature

Generalisation of Demons.

The Demons' bequest to their conquerors--Nondescripts--Exaggerations of Tradition--Saurian Theory of Dragons--The Dragon not primitive in Mythology--Monsters of Egyptian, Iranian, Vedic, and Jewish Mythologies--Turner's Dragon--Della Bella--The Conventional Dragon

The beauty of the Serpent--Emerson on ideal forms--Michelet's thoughts on the viper's head--Unique characters of the Serpent--The Monkey's horror of Snakes--The Serpent protected by superstition--Human defencelessness against its subtle powers--Dubufe's picture of the Fall of Man

An African Serpent-drama in America--The Veiled Serpent--The Ark of the Covenant--Aaron's Rod--The Worm--An Episode on the Dii Involuti--The Serapes--The Bambino at Rome--Serpent-transformations

The Naturalistic Theory of Apophis--The Serpent of Time--Epic of the Worm--The Asp of Melite--Vanquishers of Time--Nachash-Beriach --The Serpent-Spy--Treading on Serpents

The Serpent in India.

The Kankato na--The Vedic Serpents not worshipful--Ananta and Sesha--The Healing Serpent--The guardian of treasures--Miss Buckland's theory--Primitive rationalism--Underworld plutocracy--Rain and lightning--Vritra--History of the word 'Ahi'--The Adder--Zohak--A Teutonic Laokoon

The Serpent's gem--The Basilisk's eye--Basiliscus mitratus--House-snakes in Russia and Germany--King-snakes--Heraldic Dragon--Henry III.--Melusina--The Laidley Worm--Victorious Dragons--Pendragon--Merlin and Vortigern--Medicinal dragons 361

The Eye of Evil--Turner's Dragons--Cloud-phantoms--Paradise and the Snake--Prometheus and Jove--Art and Nature--Dragon forms: Anglo-Saxon, Italian, Egyptian, Greek, German--The modern conventional Dragon

The pre-Munchausenite world--The Colonial Dragon--Io's journey--Medusa--British Dragons--The Communal Dragon--Savage Saviours--A Mimac helper--The Brutal Dragon--Woman protected--The Saint of the Mikados

Demi-gods--Alcestis--Herakles--The Ghilghit Fiend--Incarnate deliverer of Ghilghit--A Dardistan Madonna--The religion of Atheism--Resuscitation of Dragons--St. George and his Dragon--Emerson and Ruskin on George--Saintly allies of the Dragon

Medusa--Phenomena of recurrence--The Brood of Echidna and their survival--Behemoth and Leviathan--The Mouth of Hell--The Lambton Worm--Ragnar--The Lambton Doom--The Worm's Orthodoxy--The Serpent, Superstition, and Science

Doré's 'Love and Fate'--Moira and Moiræ--The 'Fates' of Æschylus--Divine absolutism surrendered--Jove and Typhon--Commutation of the Demon's share--Popular fatalism--Theological fatalism--Fate and Necessity--Deification of Will--Metaphysics, past and present

Dragon and Devil distinguished--Dragons' wings--War in Heaven-- Expulsion of Serpents--Dissolution of the Dragon--Theological origin of the Devil--Ideal and Actual--Devil Dogma--Debasement of ideal persons--Transmigration of phantoms

Respect for the Devil--Primitive Atheism--Idealisation--Birth of new gods--New gods diabolised--Compromise between new gods and old--Foreign deities degraded--Their utilisation

Ahriman, the Divine Devil.

Mr. Irving's impersonation of Superstition--Revolution against pious privilege--Doctrine of 'Merits'--Saintly immorality in India--A Pantheon turned Inferno--Zendavesta on Good and Evil-- Parsî Mythology--The Combat of Ahriman with Ormuzd--Optimism-- Parsî Eschatology--Final Restoration of Ahriman

Viswámitra, the Theocratic Devil.